Silky smooth rowing and almost silent workouts. That’s what magnetic rowing machines do better than anything else.

You don’t have a noisy fan to deal with like you do with air rowers, and you won’t disturb everyone around you with the sound of your workouts. You can almost work out in silence. That’s how quiet some of the newer magnetic rowers are.

I’ve been reviewing magnetic rowers for many years, and they’ve always been my favorite type of rower for home use. And I’ve reviewed some of the best magnetic rowing machines out there. What keeps me coming back to them is that smooth, controlled feel. I like the constant resistance, and I like being able to set the resistance exactly where I want it and just row.

You Don’t Have to Spend a Fortune

Another thing I love about magnetic rowers: You don’t have to spend a ton of cash to get a good one.

If you’re a beginner just starting out, around $200 can get you a pretty decent machine. I’ve reviewed plenty of $200 rowers over the years that have surprised me. Get the basics right, a decent flywheel, a solid frame and a smooth rowing stroke, and you really don’t need much more when you’re starting out.

Yes, the high end rowers go for over $2k, and some of them are amazing, but that doesn’t mean spending more automatically gets you the right rower for you.

I’ve Narrowed It Down to Just Five

Someone just starting out might be perfectly happy with a $200 MERACH, while someone who rows five days a week might appreciate the heavy duty build, stronger resistance and better tech of something like the RW900.

I’ve been doing this a long time. I know the companies worth knowing and the rowers worth taking seriously. We’ve reviewed around 40 rowing machines here at JHG over the years, and for this guide I’ve narrowed them down to just five.

Not the five most expensive. Not five rowers that all basically do the same thing. Five machines I’d actually recommend, each for a different type of person and budget.

So whether you’ve got $200 to spend or you’re looking for one of the best magnetic rowers money can buy, there should be something here for you.

• Best Overall Magnetic Rowing Machine: NordicTrack RW900. “A beast of a magnetic rower. Heavy-duty, silky smooth and that huge 24″ screen really brings iFIT to life.”
• Best Budget Magnetic Rowing Machine: MERACH Rowing Machine. “A surprisingly good rower for the money. Quiet, smooth and ideal if you’re just getting started.”
• Best Immersive Magnetic Rowing Machine: Hydrow Origin Rower. “An impressive premium rower with dynamic resistance and one of the best rowing apps out there.”
• Best Folding Magnetic Rowing Machine: Sunny SF-RW5515. “Simple, affordable and easy to fold away. A proven magnetic rower that gets the basics right.”
• Best Magnetic Rower Without a Subscription: SOLE SR550. “A heavy-duty rower built for hard workouts, without needing another monthly subscription to enjoy it.”

Compare the Best Magnetic Rowing Machines

I’ve put all five of my top picks side by side below, so you can quickly compare the things that matter most, including resistance, screen, apps, storage and, of course, ratings.

Reviews

Okay, let’s get into the rowers. We’ve done the digging, narrowed down the choices, and these are the five we believe to be the best out there right now. From excellent $200 rowers right through to the high-end, heavy-duty machines, there’s something here for everyone.

Specs

Why We Like It

What you’ll notice first about the RW900 is just how solid the rower is. This machine is a heavy beast. It weighs around 140lb, which is a good thing because that weight tells us it’s made from high-quality parts.

With rowers, the heavier, the better. It has that premium feel you want. There’s no movement when rowing. It’s a well-built, solid machine.

But it’s not just the build quality and stability that sells the RW900 to me. It’s the smooth rowing stroke that comes from having a heavy duty flywheel and belt drive system. The seat glides effortlessly across that wide rail. Everything is silky smooth.

NordicTrack did really well here. They didn’t go tech first. They made sure to get all the essentials right and the tech second. And that’s what you want from a high end rower. It shouldn’t all be about the tech. What’s most important is the essentials: a smooth stroke, a solid build, and then the tech.

And Then There’s That 24″ Screen

But hey, they didn’t forget about the tech or anything. The tech on this rower is second to none. That 24″ screen is awesome.

A screen that size makes each rowing session so much more immersive. iFIT is a polished app, and that large screen combined with the trainer led workouts gives you one of the best rowing experiences you’ll find on any rower.

And yes, resistance is strong in those upper levels. You’re not going to outgrow this rower anytime soon. Even advanced users will get a lot from the RW900.

It’s a hard rower to fault. NordicTrack didn’t hold back with this one. It’s one of the most impressive magnetic rowers I’ve come across in years.

Still, it’s expensive, and so too is iFIT. But for what you get here, I feel it’s worth it.

If you don’t need that huge 24″ screen, though, you can save yourself a lot of cash and opt for the RW700. It’s essentially the same rower but with a 10″ HD touchscreen and costs considerably less because of that smaller screen.

Read our full RW900 Review

Specs

Why We Like It

MERACH is one of those companies that’s really on the up and up. I remember when these guys first started. They only had a couple of products, but even then I was impressed with how well-made they were and how much they offered for the price.

Fast forward a few years, and MERACH is now outselling market leaders like Sunny Health & Fitness. Their flagship rower, the QS1, is a best seller on Amazon and has been for a couple of years.

MERACH has come a long way, and they deserve it because their gear is some of the best I’ve reviewed in the budget range.

Much Better Than Most $200 Rowers

The MERACH QS1 outshines most of the competition because of the build quality.

A lot of low-cost rowers suffer from quality issues, stability problems, and weak resistance, but not the MERACH QS1. It’s surprisingly well-made and stable, the rowing stroke is smooth, and resistance on those upper levels is strong. A lot of that comes down to the 12 lb flywheel.

And that flywheel is heavy for a budget rower. Most rowers in this price range use lighter 5-7lb flywheels, but with the MERACH you’re getting a much heavier 12lb flywheel, which is impressive at this price.

You also get a long dual slide rail. The seat glides smoothly across it, and the whole thing feels like a much higher-priced rower.

So yeah, for a $200 rower, the QS1 really is an impressive machine. It’s well-built, resistance is strong, and the rowing stroke is silky smooth and whisper quiet. Yes, the monitor is fairly basic, but you have to expect that in this price range.

I’d much rather they spend the money on the build than the monitor anyway. For just under $200, the MERACH QS1 is hard to beat. Certainly my top pick out of the budget rowers.

Read our full Merach Q1S Rower Review

Specs

Why We Like It

What sold me on the Hydrow Rower was what these guys have done with magnetic resistance. They’ve somehow made a magnetic resistance system feel like a dynamic resistance system, and what I mean by that is the harder and faster you row on the Hydrow, the stronger the resistance feels.

It really does feel like you’re rowing on water, which is something you don’t expect from a magnetic rowing machine where resistance is usually constant.

So with the Hydrow, you get all the benefits of a magnetic rower, like the whisper-quiet, silky-smooth motion, and the benefits of a dynamic resistance system, like that rowing-on-water feel.

And when you combine that rowing-on-water feel with the huge 22″ HD screen and Hydrow’s awesome trainer led workouts, it truly is one of the most immersive experiences you’ll find on any rowing machine. And that’s really what sells the Hydrow Rower for me.

It’s a Beast of a Rower Too

The build quality is right up there with the likes of NordicTrack and Sole Fitness. The Hydrow Origin is another beast of a rower.

Weighing 145 lb, it’s a heavy-duty machine, about as close to commercial grade as you’ll get from a home rower. It’s rock solid. I can’t fault the build quality.

As soon as you unbox and assemble it, the first thing that hits you is that it’s a premium, high-end rower, and it should be really, considering the price.

At around $2k, it’s expensive, and $50 a month for the app is serious money. But if you love training with fitness apps, this is about as good as it gets.

So yeah, hard to fault this one. If you’re after a well-built, heavy-duty rower with one of the best rowing apps on the market, the Hydrow is certainly one to consider.

Just be sure you’re someone who’s going to get a lot from the app because it’s an expensive subscription, and you’ll want to make the most of it.

Read our full Hydrow Origin Rower Review

Specs

Why We Like It

Sunny Health & Fitness has been the king of budget for decades. These guys are one of the few companies that can deliver quality at a low price, and what I like most about Sunny is they don’t suddenly hike their prices when one of their products gets popular. Their prices stay low for years.

And that’s one reason I’m so impressed with their flagship folding rower, the Sunny SF-RW5155. This is a rowing machine that’s been around for years. It’s stood the test of time, and people are still praising it years after owning it. Believe me, there aren’t many budget rowers that can boast that kind of feedback.

It’s outsold the competition and still does to this day, and best of all, they’ve kept the price under $200 for all these years.

Heavy, Solid and Built to Last

What’s most impressive about the Sunny SF-RW5155 is the build quality. It weighs 60lb, which is heavy for a budget rower.

Most weigh around 40lb, so that extra weight is a good clue that it’s made from high quality parts. That weight also gives it an almost premium feel compared with other budget machines.

It also comes with a long slide rail. Users up to 6’6″ can achieve a full rowing stroke on the SF-RW5155, which is really impressive at this price point.

I’ve always liked this rower’s folding system because it’s so simple. It uses a single pin, and you can fold it in seconds. It’s not time consuming or fiddly like so many folding systems I’ve reviewed. It’s fast and easy.

Once folded, you halve the rower’s overall footprint, so it’s a great choice for anyone who’s tight on space.

Overall, this is an excellent low cost rowing machine, one that’s stood the test of time and won’t let you down. It’s certainly been a favorite of mine over the years. I highly recommend this rower for anyone on a budget looking for a well made folding magnetic rowing machine.

Read our full Sunny SF-RW5155 Review

Specs

Why We Like It

I’ve always liked Sole Fitness gear because these guys tend to get the important stuff right.

Their machines are heavy, solid, and built for a lot of hard use. The SR550 is no different. It weighs 106 lb, has a long aluminum rail, and a seriously impressive 400lb weight capacity. This is one solid rowing machine.

And I really like the resistance system on the SR550. Sole combines air and magnetic resistance, so you get the smooth, controlled feel of magnetic resistance, but the air adds a little more as you row harder.

There are 16 resistance levels too, and those upper levels are strong. This isn’t a rower you’re going to outgrow anytime soon.

Another nice touch is having the resistance controls built into the handle. You can change resistance while you’re rowing without reaching forward for the monitor and messing up your rhythm. It’s a small thing, but once you’ve used it, you realize how handy it actually is.

And No Monthly Subscription

This is really why I wanted the SR550 in our top five. You still get a nice 10.1″ touchscreen, built-in workouts, entertainment apps, and access to SOLE+, but Sole doesn’t ask you for another monthly payment to get the most from the rower.

And I like that. The screen and app might not be quite as polished as Hydrow or iFIT, but you get the tech without being tied to a subscription. I’d happily make that trade.

The SR550 folds too, which is impressive for such a large, heavy duty rower. Fold the rail up when you’re finished and you’ve saved a huge amount of floor space.

So yeah, there’s a lot to like about the Sole SR550. It’s heavy, well built, resistance is strong and you’ve got enough tech to keep workouts interesting without another monthly bill landing in your inbox.

If you want a serious magnetic rower but couldn’t care less about paying for a fancy subscription app every month, this is the one I’d be looking at.

Read our full Sole SR550 Review

Buying Tips & Info

Weight

Generally speaking, the weight of a magnetic rower, or almost any piece of fitness equipment, gives us a big clue about the overall quality and stability of the thing. The heavier, the better.

The rower doesn’t need to be built like a tank, but for a decent one, I like to see some weight behind it. Even some budget rowers now weigh around 50 to 60lb, while the high end, heavy duty machines can weigh well over 100lb.

A heavier machine does make moving the rower that much harder, but I’d much rather have a well built, stable rower than a lightweight one that moves all over the place and breaks within six months.

Thankfully, most rowers come with built in transport wheels, and many fold or store vertically, which makes moving and storing them much easier.

Stability

As we mentioned, weight helps a lot with stability, but also look out for wide stabilizing feet at the front and rear of the rower. I also like to see those feet capped in rubber, as the rubber helps prevent the rower from slipping around on hard floors.

And if you’re still having trouble with the rower moving, a rowing machine mat is always worth considering. They’re cheap, protect your floors and give the rower a little extra grip.

Monitors, Apps and Subscriptions

You’ll still find most entry level rowers come with fairly basic monitors. They’ll usually track things like strokes, strokes per minute, distance, time and calories. They’re basic, but those stats are useful. They give you something to track and goals to beat as your fitness improves.

Spend more and things have changed a lot. Some of today’s high end magnetic rowers have huge HD touchscreens, trainer led workouts, streaming apps and some seriously impressive fitness apps.

The NordicTrack RW900 and Hydrow Origin are good examples. Their large screens and fitness apps can completely change the rowing experience.

Still, remember those apps can come with expensive monthly subscriptions. If you’re not going to use all that tech, don’t pay thousands for it. I’d much rather see your money spent on the build quality and resistance system first, and the monitor second.

How Does Magnetic Resistance Work?

Have you ever wondered why magnetic rowing machines are so quiet compared with their air counterparts? Well, that’s because they use a magnetic braking system.

So how does it work? Inside the flywheel housing you have a metal flywheel and magnets. As you increase the resistance, the magnets move closer to the flywheel, creating more resistance without actually touching it.

And that’s the beauty of magnetic resistance. There’s virtually no friction between the magnet and flywheel, which helps make these rowers so smooth and almost silent in operation.

Traditionally, magnetic resistance is constant. Once you’ve selected a resistance level, it stays there regardless of how fast or slowly you row.

Things are changing, though. Some of the latest high end machines, such as the Hydrow, use electronically controlled magnetic resistance to give you more of that dynamic rowing feel. It’s clever stuff and shows just how far magnetic rowers have come.

Are Magnetic Rowers Better Than Air Rowers?

Magnetic and air rowers actually have a lot in common. They work the same major muscle groups, use the same basic rowing technique, and both are available from entry level machines right through to serious high end rowers.

The big difference is how the resistance feels.

Traditional magnetic rowers use constant resistance. The resistance only changes when you change it yourself, either using a resistance knob or controls on the monitor.

This means you can row slowly on a high resistance setting, which is something you can’t really do with a pure air rower.

Air resistance is dynamic. The harder and faster you row, the stronger the resistance becomes. Some people prefer this because it feels more natural and closer to rowing on water.

So which is better? I don’t think there’s one answer for everyone

Seasoned rowers often prefer air because of that dynamic resistance and natural rowing feel. But for home use, I’ve always liked magnetic rowers. They’re silky smooth, resistance can be plenty strong enough for some seriously tough workouts and, most importantly, they’re incredibly quiet.

You can row while watching TV, train early in the morning or late at night without driving everyone else in the house mad.

And that’s really why magnetic rowers make so much sense for home use.

Final Verdict

You may be thinking the most expensive rowing machine is always going to be the best, and yes, there’s some truth in that. The more you spend, the higher the build quality usually is and the more advanced the tech becomes.

And yes, our best magnetic rowing machine is also the most expensive, the NordicTrack RW900. But it didn’t win simply because it costs the most.

NordicTrack has been designing and building fitness gear for decades. These guys really know what they’re doing, and with the RW900, they got all the essentials right.

It’s not just the build quality. It’s things like the length and width of the slide rail, the smoothness of the rowing stroke, the weight of the flywheel, the stability of the machine and all those little design features that keep it planted when you’re rowing hard.

When you combine all those things and get them right, that’s when a rowing machine starts to separate itself from the competition. And the RW900 is just that little bit better than anything else I’ve come across.

Then you’ve got that huge 24″ screen and iFIT on top. The tech is just as impressive as the machine underneath it. If you want a high end magnetic rower for home, the RW900 really is the complete package.

But You Don’t Need to Spend Thousands

The Hydrow Origin is a very close second, and the Sole SR550 is right up there too. These are seriously impressive rowing machines, and I don’t think you’d be disappointed with any of them.

But if you’re on a budget, I really urge you to take the MERACH QS1 seriously. That’s one budget rower that impressed me.

The build quality is there, the essentials are all there, and resistance is strong thanks to that 12 lb flywheel. It’s not something you’re going to outgrow too quickly either.

There’s a reason it’s become an Amazon best seller. For around $200, the MERACH QS1 is incredibly hard to beat and easily my top budget pick.

So whether you’ve got $200 or $2,000 plus to spend, that’s the good news with magnetic rowers. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good one. You just need to choose the right one.

Best Magnetic Rowing Machine FAQs